A national dog indeed... but

Jan Scotland from Germany writes (June 12) to tell us that the Kelb tal-Fenek is not Egyptian and writes, also, that we should treasure the Kelb tal-Fenek as being our national dog.

I admire people, both local and those from overseas, who contribute towards the survival of the Kelb tal-Fenek breed and who, like Mr Scotland does, constantly endeavours to promote the breed, which is, after all, to the advantage of the Maltese.

He correctly claims that the Maltese, and those in authority, are not making an effort to save the national dog unlike other countries who take pride in what is national. Besides, he also gives a lot of importance to the fact that rest of the world call the same dog Pharaoh Hound instead of Kelb tal-Fenek as is supposed to be. As an example of how things should be, he states that the Germans would never accept that the German Shepherd Dog be called Maltese Terrier. Once more he is right.

However, and as I said in The Sunday Times on February 1, there are so many more important things to solve before arguing whether the dog should be called Kelb tal-Fenek instead of Pharaoh Hound and whether it is Egyptian or not so long as the Kelb tal-Fenek in Malta remains in the sad state it is. Soundness, physical and mental, conducive to correct structure and appearance, according to the breed standard, are much more important than the name. I am sure he agrees with me.

It is a pity, therefore, that gentlemen, the likes of Mr Scotland and his fellow Maltese who argue like he does, have the willingness to promote the Kelb tal-Fenek but lack the expertise and knowledge needed to achieve what they aspire to. In fact, Mr Scotland continues, the current breed standard was written by English breeders who have a small and non-representative number of specimens available. Now he is mistaken.

A breed standard is not created from the number of dogs extant in a country or their appearance but it is written as the Maltese creators of the Kelb tal-Fenek wanted it to be initially and according to the style of movement and function of the dog they created. When visiting their website last February, it contained a breed standard, which they created to fit their imagination of how the Kelb tal-Fenek should be. Is he, maybe, expecting breeders to produce dogs in the way they describe them to be in the breed standard they created themselves?

Maybe he wants us to breed dogs with rear legs that are not parallel and that are designed to keep their legs in a "five minutes to one" position and at the same time expecting them to be in line with the body during movement, to mention but one of their standard's irregularities they claim to be correct.

Of all the purebred dogs existing worldwide, from that of the tiny Chihuahuas to the massive Mastiffs, there is not even one breed standard in the canine world that describes healthy rear legs not to be parallel and with hocks pointing to each other as they want them to be if the legs are kept in a "five minutes to one" position.

When referring to the Germans and the pride they take in their German Shepherd dogs, Mr Scotland should have mentioned that the German breeders will never part, under no circumstances, with their beloved dogs that breed true to type unlike what he and his fellow Maltese boast they have done. That they have exported puppy Klieb tal-Fenek to nine different countries, progeny of champion parents. Why? In order to contribute to the gene pool, they declare, much needed overseas. Not very patriotic, it seems. And at the same time he condemns us Maltese for not protecting the breed and wants us to register the remaining dogs on the island and embark on a serious breeding programme to save the breed.

Is he expecting miracles for I am sure that only a genetic mutation will create the correct Kelb tal-Fenek from the remaining stock on the island, if we are aiming at true breeding?

Not that it is a bad idea but how much better it would have been if his fellow Maltese didn't sell the much needed progeny of correctly built Klieb tal-Fenek, thus contributing to the already shrinking gene pool in Malta. Or did he do it to boost Malta's economy by exporting made in Malta products in order to reduce the balance of trade in our favour?

He also states that if one had to attend international shows one would find Klieb tal-Fenek with all sort of faults or undesirable features. I am not surprised at all.

No wonder his fellow Maltese's Kelb tal-Fenek beat all the dogs competing and went on to win a top post and is now an international champion. He claims that many breeds in western show rings have unwanted and unnecessary features, such as, exaggerated angulation of the skeletal anatomy, long necks, etc. and mentions the Afghan Hound and the Grey Hound among other examples with major faults.

This is not something new to the canine world. In Britain, producers of the world's top dogs in all breeds, as indeed in other European countries and also in the US, one of the huge problems encountered emanates from the fact that working dogs and sporting dogs of the same breed have been split into three groups. Those with aesthetic appeal are used in dog shows, those with working ability are used for field trials and in aiding man, such as assisting the police or Customs in their search for criminal activities, and the third are kept as pets, generally lacking in appearance but sound in temperament.

It seems that there are three standards for the same breed which is wrong. In reality there is only one breed standard which should include the aesthetic appeal, working ability and sound temperament together, all in one dog, where they are required.

I want to clarify that my federation has absolutely nothing against the beautiful Kelb tal-Fenek and we, also, boast that it is our national dog. Therefore, stating that the Maltese do not appreciate the hound is completely false.

It is that we lack the proper tools to restore it that saddens us and knowing that the best specimens of the breed have been sent to other countries, not only recently but for several number of years.

For the record, the world famous English judge and breeder of Hound dogs, particularly the Kelb tal-Fenek, Hamilton Renwick, also bought his foundation stock from Malta.

Finally, he asks whether Maltese competitors in dog shows fear competing against breeders of Kelb tal-Fenek. It is sad but true that ever since dog shows began, more than 50 years ago or so, in Malta, and especially now that, as Mr Scotland says, the Kelb tal-Fenek is at its worst, and even risks being lost, only his fellow in the Klieb tal-Fenek category won a top place, not only in Malta but also in the international shows organised by the FCI.

I now ask Mr Scotland: Since the dogs that win are those which look closest to how the breed standard describes them to be and since his fellow's dog was judged according to the breed standard of the FCI, which he himself condemns, isn't it a perversity that his fellow's Kelb tal-Fenek won in an international event?

Is Mr Scotland genuinely writing in defence of the Kelb tal-Fenek? Who made fun of and ridiculed the Kelb tal-Fenek even among the international canine fraternity, Mr Scotland?

Mr Flores is secretary, the Maltese National Canine Federation.